Mobile networks are being used to connect all sorts of devices, such as wireless-enabled printers, cameras and other peripherals, automated reading of utility meters, intelligent connectivity of cars and commercial vehicles to enable drivers to access navigation, infotainment or breakdown services, traffic lights, home security and assisted living. The number of mobile connected devices is expected grow exponentially, resulting in a huge new market opportunity, predominantly in the machine-to-machine (M2M) and consumer electronics sectors. All parties in the M2M ecosystem will struggle if we remain solely dependent upon the traditional SIM card because changing SIM cards is problematic for being only associated with one network operator. The sim-less technology, also known as the electronic sim (e-SIM) solves the problem by providing a global product with local provisioning. It also solves the challenge of managing those devices in the field when many M2M devices are remotely located, often hermetically sealed, their after sale location is not known during production and furthermore their product life cycles are lengthy. Many of the interfaces and processes needed to make the remote provisioning of SIMs work are virtually identical to current SIM personalization processes and interfaces used by mobile operators today.
For mobile devices with e-SIM functionality, the subscriptions context could be provisioned over the air (OTA). In the existing implementations, the user could install the subscription context onto the mobile device by selecting the preferred plan via user interfaces, such as the web page or mobile applications. Alternatively, the e-SIM can be enabled by automatic selection by the e-SIM platform where the mobile device connects at the first boot. However, the existing mechanism always enables the e-SIM through SIM vendor's server. The user cannot easily choose their preferred operator.
Improvements and enhancements are required for sim-less subscription mechanism for mobile cellular networks, such that the user may have the right to choose their preferred vendor.